November 2007

Have you ever noticed how when life is trying to teach you something, everything seems to work in concert to reinforce the lesson?  Those lessons can come in many guises and varying degrees of difficulty.  When I need to learn patience, I invariably encounter even longer lines at the airport.  I end up in the queue of the agent that seems to also need a lesson in patience (the mirroring thing is an oft-used technique of the universe to help us see ourselves).  Let me formulate a desire to hone my presentation skills, and a challenging facilitation engagement materializes out of the blue.  Or a client will request that I help him prepare for an upcoming speech, forcing me to really focus on all aspects of presentation techniques.

What I notice is that resources often also appear, especially when I’m open to receiving them.  Myriad resources help me in embracing the lessons life is dishing up.  Using the aforementioned examples, a client may mention the perfect book about keeping your cool (without even knowing it is a topic I’m grappling with).  Or a movie may contain a powerful message about living a life of patience. I may find myself in the audience of a master facilitator, who models brilliant ways of presenting material so folks really get it. 

Books, films, newspaper articles, and blogs are resources for life lessons.  So are friends, clients, family, pets, and the check-out guy at the grocery store.  In other words, resources are everywhere.  Watch for them.  Be open to the learning opportunities in all situations.

Life’s lessons can take us by surprise.  They can be hard.  We can also intentionally set out to discover more about ourselves, consciously seek to grow in specific areas, and in the process open up to the lessons the universe will provide.  One thing is certain: whether we ask for them or not, life’s lessons will come to us.  It is up to us to choose how we receive them, and what we do with them.

Is there a lesson you want or need to learn?  Are you open to the ways you might embrace that learning, and to the resources that you can tap into?  If I can support you in that journey, please let me know.  I wish you a month of learning and thanksgiving.

Sharon
Sharon Keys Seal